Antique Blues

Antique dealer Josie Prescott is thrilled her friend Mo Shannon has a acquired a beautiful Japanese woodblock print she loved. In Antique Blues by Jane K. Cleland, Josie's friend asks her to appraise her new acquisition.

The print is one of by famed Japanese artist Utagawa Hiroshige and is part of a series called One Hundred Famous Views of Edo. The beautiful, peaceful scene is rendered in shades of white, blue and brown with colors so vibrant and bold it appears to have never been seen in daylight. Original prints from this series are extremely scarce,which leads Josie to doubt the authenticity of this print.

Mo's sister Lydia and her boyfriend Cal try to discourage Mo from getting an appraisal, especially as Cal is the one who sold the print to her. Ever cautious, this also raises concerns for Josie.

When Mo falls to her death a few days later, Jane is glad she had the foresight to bring the print into

her shop and keep it in her possession. Could the print have caused Mo's death? When Cal disappears shortly after Mo's death, Jane continues to search for the provenance of Mo's print.

Josie's business and personal life are as complicated as ever. Mo's father asks her to appraise his blues guitar that he thinks was once owned by blues guitar great Robert Johnson. And Ty wonders when their wedding will take place and encourages Josie to start planning.

The Josie Prescott books are easy to read and offer clear insight into the world of antiques. I always learn something from these books.